Synthesis and Characterization of Molybdenum Carbide Catalytic nanoparticles for the Hydrogenation of Toluene

TL;DRAbstract

Current key sources to maintain a world supply of energy are heavy crude oils and bitumen. However, these unconventional oils require significant upgrading before entering refineries. A plausible efficient way to upgrade these heavy oils is developing catalysts in the nanometric range with the capability of effectively dispersing throughout the reaction media to encounter the macromolecules present in these crude oils and convert them with less energy input. In this research, a range of methodologies to form Mo2C nanoparticles were explored, with particular attention to the identification of low energy path intermediates. The synthesis of a molybdenum precursor (MoO3) in nano sizes was studied, and its conversion into active phase was achieved by the use of water soluble capping agents, such as Starch and Poly ethylene glycol (PEG), which acted as carbon sources. MoO2 was identified as an intermediate and its conversion into Mo2C was proven to occur through a path kinetically controlle

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